Chapter 15 : Gap of the battlefield and the battlefield (3)

In that world, magic was a long staircase approaching transcendence, an imitation of the stars in the night sky.

By observing the universe and drawing power from the essence of stars, they called it magic.

They dared to write down the stellar power they drew out in human language, and they called this a grimoire.

And if one fully understood all this knowledge, they would become a star themselves, and this was called transcendence.

Looking back on hazy memories now, transcendence meant having one’s name listed in the pantheon of the Outer Gods. To achieve enlightenment and reach the pinnacle only to become the same as those flawed beings… it was truly confusing back then.

However, I can proudly say that I was different from the mages who forcibly extended their lifespans while observing the stars. I cleaned up the mages who blindly chased magic and fell into madness, and I stole the grimoires they wrote by sacrificing people.

They must have felt wronged, but what could they do? That was the right answer. Ironically, the mages’ millennia-long efforts toward transcendence were all stolen by a hunter from another world, who then, as a human, achieved the sole transcendence.

So, what am I doing now?

I’ve settled into a corner of the grand repository of knowledge built by humans, exploring the structure of the universe. In other words, I’m in the school library, piled up with astronomy books, searching through papers, and writing a grimoire.

‘As expected, even beyond the galaxy, the structure is completely different.’

As I typed on the keyboard and flipped through the thick pages, devouring knowledge, I could clearly see it. Different world, different stars. That’s why, to use magic, I needed to understand and study these new stars.

I’ve been studying the area around Earth for a few days now, imbuing my eyes with magic and gazing at the night sky, but I haven’t been making much progress due to the lack of equipment and technology.

Then, human astronomy caught my eye. Stars not in a purely magical sense, but as actual existing objects. Thanks to this, by combining human astronomy with my magical knowledge, a rough structure of the universe is being organized in my mind.

So, I read, write, type, and repeat.

How much time has passed?

‘It’s going to be a bit dangerous from here on out.’

I stopped the pen that was endlessly dancing on the notebook and tore off the pages at the back. It was a waste, but I had to cut out the parts that might cross the line. Since what I wanted was to recover the strongest magical power within human limits, it was important to restrict the scope of my understanding.

Shaking off the rising thirst for knowledge and lingering regret, I organized the piled-up books. Then, I carefully sealed the notebook, which was overflowing with stellar magic, and held it close. It was almost time for morning classes to end, so I should have lunch and go home to review it.

Leaving the library, I crossed the first-floor hallway where the school’s administrative offices were located.

Looking out the window, I saw Class 6 students coming up the stairs from the playground, their position training seemingly over. I casually looked them over without much thought, and my gaze naturally shifted towards a familiar brown bob. It was Su-rim.

Su-rim, as if she also saw me, waved her hand widely from afar. Feeling happy at her action, I waved back slightly, but ended up bumping into someone coming out of the administrative office.

“Oof!”
“Oh.”

A small impact, and a short-haired girl’s groan echoed through the hallway.

Perhaps because of the difference in our physiques, the other person only stumbled for a moment, but I dropped my notebook and fell backward.

After getting up, supporting myself with my hands, I rubbed my sore bottom and bowed my head to the other person. It was probably mostly my fault for looking elsewhere.

“I’m sorry. I was looking somewhere else for a moment….”
“…….”

I felt something strange when there was no reply, so I raised my head. The person I bumped into was a girl with eye-catching wavy pink hair. Judging by the color of her name tag, she seemed to be a second-year senior. But why was she staring intently at my notebook?

“Um, Senior Baek Si-eun…?”

Eventually, worried because the senior started trembling while holding my notebook, I called her name written on the name tag. Was she not feeling well or something?

“……Huh? Ah. S, Sorry.”

Startled by my voice, the senior turned her deep blue eyes towards me. Pink braided bangs swayed gently as her head moved. Suppressing the urge to pull on them, I grabbed my notebook and said,

“I’m sorry for bumping into you while I was looking elsewhere.”
“Yeah…. It’s okay….”

I tugged at the notebook.

She held onto it and didn’t let go.

“…….”
“…….”
“This notebook is mine…….”
“……R, Right? Sorry…….”

If you’re sorry, let it go.

A while later, I got my notebook back from the senior, who had come to her senses. Only after reassuring her, who kept apologizing, could I finally move my feet. Dragging my limp legs, I climbed the stairs to the second floor, and suddenly, concerned about the senior’s behavior earlier, I examined my notebook.

‘I sealed it properly, so there’s no way magic is leaking out….’

If it were the mages who studied the stars, they might be able to see through the seal and notice it. However, it was certainly strange for her, who should have no connection to that world, to react like that.

Su-rim, leaning over from the top of the stairs, broke my train of thought.

“Seo-hyun! You still haven’t come up? Let’s go eat!”

I saw her brown eyes briefly glance at the notebook, but there was no reaction like before.

‘I don’t know.’

I might have to meet that senior again later.

After giving Su-rim a vague answer when she asked who I bumped into, having witnessed the scene, and finishing lunch…

“Wow, so you beat Mr. Iron Hammer?”
“I did win, but, well, sigh….”
“Ah, ahahaha!!”
“…….”
“I bumped into a pink-haired second-year senior earlier….”
“Ah, Senior Baek Si-eun? She’s probably A-rank too.”
“How many A-ranks are there in our school?”
“Well, there are about seven students? Besides, I’ll also be A-rank if I do well on the test.”

With a little time left before the 1 p.m. dismissal bell, I spent time in the classroom talking with Su-rim about what happened today, and soon it was time to go home.

So, I said goodbye to Su-rim and the other kids, and headed to the faculty office with Kim Ha-neul.

*

Creak.

As I opened the door to the noisy faculty office, the scene inside was one of utter chaos. Teachers were running around, papers kept flowing out of the fax machine. Ah, that looks like my personal information.

Ha-neul, who was standing blankly like me, headed towards Ms. Do-hwa. She was sweating profusely, hammering away at the keyboard with a hunt-and-peck typing style. I felt bad even asking if we could go home. Who threw a bomb into this usually peaceful faculty office?

“Ms. Do-hwa, is something going on?”

At Ha-neul’s question, Ms. Do-hwa turned her head sharply. Her eyes were filled with a demonic energy. Ms. Do-hwa usually looked incredibly young for thirty, but right now, her face looked as old as her actual age. Seeing that, Ha-neul stumbled backward, stammering.

“You two, you’ve come at the right time. Go to the principal’s office right now.”
“Y, Yes? Us?”
“Huh?”

Ha-neul seemed overwhelmed by her force, acting like a new recruit he saw on TV. I, too, was dumbfounded by her order and asked back. I wanted to go home quickly and finish my research, but what was this sudden disaster?

“The large-scale purification operation next week has been drastically revised. Go to the principal’s office and ask for details.”
“Yes…….”
“Let’s go, Kim Ha-neul.”

If it’s about the operation, I can’t help it. I pulled Kim Ha-neul, who was still out of it. What on earth was going on to cause such a commotion?

So, filled with questions, we headed to the first floor where the principal’s office was located.